BAMMA
London |key_people=David Green, CEO Ashley Bothwell, Managing Director Liam Fisher, Head Of Business Development Jude Samuel, Head Of Talent Relations Alice Huzar, Head of Production |industry=Mixed martial arts promotion |parent= |company_slogan=Where Champions Are Made |homepage=http://www.bamma.com/ }} The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) is the largest, premier United Kingdom-based mixed martial arts promotion. It premiered on June 27, 2009 and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events are now shown live in the UK and Ireland on Syfy and around the World on www.bammatv.com History The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts held its first event in London on June 27, 2009. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership was held in a tournament format, with two semi-finals taking place in the Lightweight, Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. The semi-final winners progressed to the final, which is to take place at a later date. Their next event, BAMMA 2: Roundhouses at the Roundhouse, was held at The Roundhouse and saw BAMMA's first champions crowned. Rob Sinclair defeated Nathan Beer to become the Lightweight Champion, and Alan Omer got the better of Paul Reed for the Featherweight Championship. After this, BAMMA moved to Birmingham for BAMMA 3: Horwich vs. Watson which hosted three title fights. Originally, tabloid celebrity Alex Reid was set to fight Tom "Kong" Watson for the vacant Middleweight title. However, Reid injured his knee while filming his documentary TV series Alex Reid: The Fight of His Life and was forced to pull out of the fight. This angered Watson, who claimed Reid was disrespecting him. Watson also called him a "clown" and said that it was likely Reid pulled out to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Reid was then replaced by UFC and IFL veteran Matt Horwich for the main event. Watson won the fight by decision and claimed the belt. In the Featherweight division, Omer lost his belt to Mark Adams via unanimous decision. Also, Daniel Weichel was brought over from Germany to challenge Sinclair's reign as Lightweight Champ. Sinclair, who used the England football anthem "Three Lions" as his entrance music, successfully defended his title by TKOing Weichel in the first round. A number of other big names also filled the card, including Seth Petruzelli and War Machine, and around 5,000 fans were in attendance that night. At BAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson, Reid finally got the chance to take on Watson in a championship bout, but "Kong" was able to defend his title by winning via unanimous decision. Also featured on the card that night were three of Europe's most promising welterweights in Eugene Fadiora, Gunnar Nelson and Simeon Thoresen. BAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson gained a huge TV audience breaking records for Bravo and becoming one of the most watched MMA bouts in UK history. The main event peaked with over 835,000 viewers during the fight, making it the most watched MMA event in UK history. BAMMA's next event BAMMA 5 was originally planned for December 2010 and was set to be headlined by Bob Sapp vs. Stav Economou. However, due to snowstorms in the UK the event was cancelled.It was rescheduled for February 26, 2011 at the MEN Arena in Manchester with Paul Daley taking on Yuya Shirai for the BAMMA Welterweight title It was announced on January 27th 2011 that BAMMA had signed a 1 year deal with SyFy to broadcast all 5 of their arena events in 2011, completely live on the channel in the UK. This is an unprecedented deal which makes BAMMA the first ever MMA organisation in the UK to deliver totally live coverage on a non-subscription channel. Bamma 6 will take play at Wembley Arena on May 21st 2011 and will feature a title denfence by Tom Watson. It was announced on March 16th 2011 that Tom Watson would face Murilo Rua. Rumours have also circulated that WWE superstar Dave Batista would make his MMA debut at BAMMA 6. The promotion has made no official comment on these rumours. Also rumoured to be fighting are MMA veterans Phil Baroni and Frank Trigg Rules BAMMA's are based upon the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that were originally established by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and modified by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. These rules have been adopted across the US in other states that regulate mixed martial arts. As a result, they have become the standard de facto set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the US and for cage-based MMA worldwide. All BAMMA fights are contested over three, five minute rounds. There is a one minute rest period in-between rounds. As per the Unified Rules of MMA, BAMMA only allows competitors to fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Fighters must use approved light gloves (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. The referee has the right to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position nor working toward one) after a verbal warning. Match outcome Matches usually end via: *'Submission': a fighter taps on the mat or his opponent three times (or more) or verbally submits. *'Knockout': a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue. *'Technical Knockout': stoppage of the fight by the referee if it is determined a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself or by ringside doctor due to injury. *'Judges' Decision': Depending on scoring, a match may end as: :*unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for one fighter), :*split decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with the third for the other), :*majority decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with one for a draw), :*unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw), :*majority draw (two judges score a draw). :*split draw (the total points for each fighter is equal) A fight can also end in a technical decision, technical draw, disqualification, forfeit or no contest. Judging criteria The ten-point must system is use for all BAMMA fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. The decision is announced at the end of the match but the judge's scorecards are not announced. Fouls The following are considered fouls in BAMMA: # Butting with the head. # Eye gouging of any kind. # Biting. # Hair pulling. # Fish hooking. # Groin attacks of any kind. # Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see Gouging) # Small joint manipulation. # Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch) # Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see Elbow (strike)) # Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. # Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. # Grabbing the clavicle. # Kicking the head of a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (as of 10 September 2005). # Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (as of 10 September 2005). # Stomping a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (as of 10 September 2005). # Elbow strikes to a grounded opponent (as of 10 September 2005). # Kicking to the kidney with the heel. # Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see piledriver (professional wrestling)) # Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. # Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. # Spitting at an opponent. # Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. # Holding the ropes or the fence. # Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. # Attacking an opponent on or during the break. # Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. # Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. # Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. # Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury. # Interference by the corner. # Throwing in the towel during competition. When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw. Champions Current champions Featherweight Championship ::136 to 145 lbs (56 to 63 kg) Lightweight Championship ::146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg) Middleweight Championship ::171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg) Notable fighters Heavyweights * Stav Economou * Bob Sapp Light Heavyweights * Seth Petruzelli * James McSweeney * Ricco Rodriguez Middleweights * Matt Horwich * John Phillips * Alex Reid * Tom Watson (Current BAMMA Middleweight Champion) * James Zikic * Murilo Rua Welterweights * Paul Daley * Yuya Shirai * Eugene Fadiora * Zach Light * Che Mills * Gunnar Nelson * Simeon Thoresen * War Machine Lightweights * Alexandre Izidro * Abdul Mohamed * Radek Piechnik * Rob Sinclair (Current BAMMA Lightweight Champion) * Daniel Weichel Featherweights * Mark Adams (Current BAMMA Featherweight Champion) * Jeff Lawson * Dave Lee * Alan Omer (Former BAMMA Featherweight Champion) * Paul Reed Events External links * Homepage Category:European promotions Category:Promotions and organizations